Books about Bears

I will try to present here as large as possible a list of reference books concerning bears.
In addition, I have
set up bears.org to be able to sell books in association with Amazon.Com in order to help
those folks who are interested in purchasing titles
listed on this page. If a title is available for purchase, you can do so by clicking on the small Amazon.Com logo.

BEARS: Rulers of the Wilderness

Robert Elman

This book is a very general overview of the bears of the world. The print is
rather large, so there isn't much in the way of explanatory text. However, the photography is wonderful and there are pictures taking up half of each page.

The Sacred Paw

Paul Shepard & Barry Sanders

Bears and their spiritual connections. This book is exhaustive in its treatment of the mythologies of the bear. It begins with the earliest cave bear cults, and continues right on into the modern use of the Teddy bear as a ward against the fears of childhood. It can be difficult to read at times, though, because it is written like a college paper, an academic research work. But, the sheer quality of the information makes it worth several readthroughs. It is still the best book on the subject, delving even into the biology of the bear, and the effect of bears in literature.

The Great Bear Almanac

Gary Brown

Another book that covers the full spectrum of bearhood. The Almanac is a treasure trove of assorted trivia about bears. Full of tables and charts, it is a fascinating read. Unfortunately, nearly all of the pictures inside are in black & white, making it difficult to enjoy the beauty of the bear. The text is very engaging, though, so it makes up for the lack of color photography.